I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4334 

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out certain major 

medical facility projects for which appropriations are being made for 

fiscal year 2016. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 6, 2016 

Mr. TED LIEU of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

certain major medical facility projects for which appropriations are being made for fiscal year 2016. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fiscal Year 2016 De5 partment of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Con6 struction Authorization Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FA2 CILITY PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

3 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 

6 (Public Law 114–113), which was signed by the 

7 President on December 18, 2015, included the fol8 lowing amounts to be appropriated to the Depart9 ment of Veterans Affairs: 

10 (A) $35,000,000 to make seismic correc11 tions to Building 208 at the West Los Angeles 

12 Medical Center of the Department in Los Ange13 les, California, which, according to the Depart14 ment, is a building that is designated as having 

15 an exceptionally high risk of sustaining sub16 stantial damage or collapsing during an earth17 quake. 

18 (B) $158,000,000 to provide for the con19 struction of a new research building, site work, 

20 and demolition at the San Francisco Veterans 

21 Affairs Medical Center. 

22 (C) $161,000,000 to replace Building 133 

23 with a new community living center at the Long 

24 Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which, 

25 according to the Department, is a building that 

26 is designated as having an extremely high risk 


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1 of sustaining major damage during an earth2 quake. 

3 (D) $468,800,000 for construction projects 

4 that are critical to the Department for ensuring 

5 health care access and safety at medical facili6 ties in Louisville, Kentucky, Jefferson Barracks 

7 in St. Louis, Missouri, Perry Point, Maryland, 

8 American Lake, Washington, Alameda, Cali9 fornia, and Livermore, California. 

10 (2) The Department is unable to obligate or ex11 pend the amounts described in paragraph (1), other 

12 than for construction design, because the Depart13 ment lacks an explicit authorization by an Act of 

14 Congress pursuant to section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, 

15 United States Code, to carry out the major medical 

16 facility projects described in such paragraph. 

17 (3) Among the major medical facility projects 

18 described in paragraph (1), three are critical seismic 

19 safety projects in California. 

20 (4) Every day that the critical seismic safety 

21 projects described in paragraph (3) are delayed in22 creases the risk of a life-threatening building failure 

23 in the case of a major seismic event. 

24 (5) According to the United States Geological 

25 Survey— 


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1 (A) California has more than a 99-percent 

2 chance of experiencing an earthquake of mag3 nitude 6.7 or greater in the next 30 years; 

4 (B) even earthquakes of less severity than 

5 magnitude 6.7 can cause life threatening dam6 age to seismically unsafe buildings; and 

7 (C) in California, earthquakes of mag8 nitude 6.0 or greater occur on average once 

9 every 1.2 years. 

10 (b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af11 fairs may carry out the following major medical facility 

12 projects, with each project to be carried out in an amount 

13 not to exceed the amount specified for that project: 

14 (1) Seismic corrections to buildings, including 

15 retrofitting and replacement of high-risk buildings, 

16 in San Francisco, California, in an amount not to 

17 exceed $180,480,000. 

18 (2) Seismic corrections to facilities, including 

19 facilities to support homeless veterans, at the med20 ical center in West Los Angeles, California, in an 

21 amount not to exceed $105,500,000. 

22 (3) Seismic corrections to the mental health 

23 and community living center in Long Beach, Cali24 fornia, in an amount not to exceed $287,100,000. 


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1 (4) Construction of an outpatient clinic, admin2 istrative space, cemetery, and columbarium in Ala3 meda, California, in an amount not to exceed 

4 $87,332,000. 

5 (5) Realignment of medical facilities in Liver6 more, California, in an amount not to exceed 

7 $194,430,000. 

8 (6) Construction of a medical center in Louis9 ville, Kentucky, in an amount not to exceed 

10 $150,000,000. 

11 (7) Construction of a replacement community 

12 living center in Perry Point, Maryland, in an 

13 amount not to exceed $92,700,000. 

14 (8) Seismic corrections and other renovations to 

15 several buildings and construction of a specialty care 

16 building in American Lake, Washington, in an 

17 amount not to exceed $16,260,000. 

18 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CON19 STRUCTION.—There is authorized to be appropriated to 

20 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2016 or 

21 the year in which funds are appropriated for the Construc22 tion, Major Projects, account, $1,113,802,000 for the 

23 projects authorized in subsection (b). 

24 (d) LIMITATION.—The projects authorized in sub25 section (b) may only be carried out using— 


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1 (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2016 pur2 suant to the authorization of appropriations in sub3 section (c); 

4 (2) funds available for Construction, Major 

5 Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 

6 that remain available for obligation; 

7 (3) funds available for Construction, Major 

8 Projects, for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 that 

9 remain available for obligation; 

10 (4) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 

11 Projects, for fiscal year 2016 for a category of activ12 ity not specific to a project; 

13 (5) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 

14 Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 for 

15 a category of activity not specific to a project; and 

16 (6) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 

17 Projects, for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 for 

18 a category of activity not specific to a project. 

Æ 


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